Defecation Posture Modification Device Found to Be Beneficial

(HealthDay News) — A defecation posture modification device (DPMD) can reduce bowel movement duration and straining patterns among healthy individuals, according to a study presented at the World Congress of Gastroenterology, being held in partnership with the American College of Gastroenterology's annual scientific meeting and postgraduate course Oct. 13 to 18 in Orlando, Florida.

Rohan M. Modi, M.D., from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, and colleagues examined the impact of DPMDs in a prospective study involving 52 resident physicians. Participants recorded bowel movements for four weeks (two weeks without a DPMD and two weeks with a DPMD). Exclusion criteria included previous DPMD use, pregnancy, being wheelchair-bound, presence of an ileostomy/colostomy, and history of small bowel resection >12 cm.

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The researchers found that 28.8 percent of subjects reported incomplete emptying at baseline; 44.2 percent had increased straining with defecation, and 55.8 percent noticed blood on their toilet paper in the past year. A total of 1,119 bowel movements were recorded during the study, 735 without and 384 with DPMD. For DMPD versus non-DMPD bowel movements, there were significant reductions in duration (4.24 versus 5.6 minutes), reduced straining patterns (2.46 versus 3.1), and increased bowel emptiness (2.19 versus 1.8). In a post-study survey, 67.3 percent of participants planned to continue using their DPMD. Incomplete emptying before the intervention predicted long-term DMPD use (multivariate odds ratio, 12.94).

"Future studies should focus on use of the device in pertinent clinical processes such as constipation or hemorrhoids," the authors write.